Method of making garment-stays.



F. L. 0. WADSWORTH.

METHOD OF MAKING GARMENT STAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1912.

i o Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

W/TNESSESI 4 w f x A NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-Linda, WASHINGTON. D C

II f l I; li

FRANK L. 0. WADSWORTI-I, OF SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE SPIRELLA COMPANY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF MAKING GARMENT-STAYS.

Application filed July 1, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK L. O. WADS- WORTH, a resident of Sewiokley, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Making Garment- Stays, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of wire garment stays, and particularly to that form of stay which is made up of wire bent back and forth alternately in opposite directions to form two series of oppositely disposed loops or eyes lying along the edges of the stay and united by a series of intermediate transverse portions or crossings lying at nearly right angles to the length of the stay. In such stays the resistance to fiatwise bending is due almost entirely to the torsional stiffness of the transverse portions or crossings, while the resistance to edgewise bending is due almost entirely to the lateral stifiness, or the resistance to bending of those portions of the wire which form the edge loops. Usually such stays are subjected to much more severe bending stresses in a flatwise direction than they are in an edgewise direction. It is, therefore, particularly important to form the stays in such a manner that the torsional stiffness and resiliency of the crossing portions of the wire may be as great as possible.

The particular objects of the invention are to provide a method. of forming stays of the character described, whereby such stays are not only rendered stiffer in one flatwise direction than in the other but also possess an increased resiliency and increased ability to withstand short bends and avoid taking permanentbends or sets, as compared with such stays as heretofore constructed.

It is well known that when wire is subjected to twisting stresses sufficient to impart a permanent torsional set thereto, the torsional resistance of the wire against a further twist in the same direction is greatly increased and the elastic limit or resiliency of the wire is likewise increased. I take advantage of this characteristic of wire and form the stays in such a manner that each crossing or transverse portion of the wire body is twisted during the formation of the stay to a sufficient degree to impart a permanent set thereto the twisting operation be- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 706,957.

ing so performed that in the finished stay all of the crossings are twisted or set in the same direction. The result is a stay which is considerably stiffer against flatwise bending than a similar stay having no twist in the crossings; which, further, is stiffer against bending in the fiatwise direction which produces a further twist in the crossings or transverse portions in the same direction in which they were already twisted, than against bending in the opposite flatwise direction; and which, finally, is considerably more elastic and resilient and, therefore, capable of being subjected to shorter bends without permanent distortion than it otherwise would be. As a consequence, a stay manufactured according to this method can be made of smaller and lighter wire than when made according to the old method, without rendering the stay unduly flexible, as well as possessing other advantages which will be readily .appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a diagrammatic plan view of one form of stay and the manner of making the same in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a similar illustration of another form of stay; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the essential parts of an organized machine for manufacturing stays in accordance with the improved method; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a part of the same, with a portion thereof in section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a detail view of a part of the machine; and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of one of the bending fingers.

In producing the form of stay shown in Figs. 1 and 2 according to the improved method, a wire 1 of suitable size is bent around a series of pins 2, arranged in two rows with the pins of one row staggered or set intermediate those of the other row, to produce a stay body having two series of oppositely disposed eyes or loops 3 lying along the two side edges and united by the transverse portions or crossings 4:. The pins 22 of each row may be located sulficiently close together, as shown in Fig. 1, to cause the adjacent loops at each edge to overlap, or they may be spaced so far apart that the loops or eyes remain open, as shown in Fig. 2. As the wire is bent around each pin, the free or unformed portion thereof is gripped and twisted to a sufficient degree to impart a permanent set or twist to that portion of the wire between the pin and the gripping device. This twisting may be performed in any suitable way, such as by means of a pair of ordinary pliers held in the hand of the opera-tor. The successive crossings are twisted in opposite directions, so that in the completed stay and when finished as a whole all of the crossings are twisted in the same direction, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2. It is immaterial in which direction the wire is twisted, providing only successive portions are twisted in opposite directions, so that when formed into alternately oppositely disposed loops all of the crossings will have their twists running in the same direction; but in the form of stay shown in Fig. 1 in which the sides of adjacent loops overlap, it is preferable to impart the twist to the wire in the direction indicated by the arrows, so that the recoil of the wire when it is released from the grip of the pliers tends to bring the overlapping portions into close and intimate contact. In this form of stay, the successive eyes orloops necessarily lie at an angle to the plane of the stay, to permit of the overlapping of the loops, so that said loops when viewed edgewise present a shingled appearance, as shown in Fig. 6.

In forming stays in the manner described, each crossing portion may be left straight or it may be curved upwardly or downwardly out of the plane of the stay to produce a body which is of general concavoconvex form in cross section, that is to say, a wire body in which the general plane of the two series of edge loops or eyes is above or below the general plane of the central portions of the crossings, as shown in Fig. 3. In making the concave stay by hand the same process is followed as above described, except that the surfaces of the blocks in which the pins 2 are set, are made convex instead of flat.

It is obvious that with this method any desired amount, within reason, of twist may be imparted to the transverse portions or crossings and, therefore, any degree of increased resiliency and increased stiflness to flatwise bending in one direction as com pared with the other may be secured. It is obvious that this method will produce the desired result entirely irrespective of the particular form of the stay body, whether with overlapping loops, as shown in Fig. 1, orwith open flat loops, as shown in Fig. 2; and irrespective of whether the cross sectional shape of the stay is flat or is of general concavo-convex form.

In the commercial manufacture of the stay according to the method described, a suitably organized machine will be employed, and in Figs. 4;, 5 and 6, the essential portions of one form of such organized machine are shown. This mechanism, in many of its features and general operation, is somewhat similar to that illustrated and described in Patent No. 1,009,823 of November 28, 1911, to M. M. Beeman, and consequently the drawing hereto annexed illustrates in detail only those features of construction which particularly adapt the mechanism to carrying out the improved method above described.

The mechanism illustrated comprises two oscillating or swinging bending fingers 6 and 7, which not only oscillate to bend the wire to the desired configuration in the manner described in the above named Patent No. 1,009,823, but which have, furthermore, a rotary or oscillatory rotary movement to impart the necessary twist to the transverse or crossing portions. These bending fingers 6 and 7 are arranged to engage alternately with the unformed portion 1 of the wire and bend the same around suitable pins 2-2, secured in two vertically reciprocating or oscillating blocks 8 and S which are alternately raised and lowered by any suitable mechanism. In the present case the blocks are in the form of levers fulcrumed at 9 and carrying rollers 10 held by springs 11 against suitable cams 12 and 13 on the main driving shaft 1 1. The cams 12 and 13 are oppositely placed on the shaft 1 1 so that the pin blocks are alternately raised and depressed, the block 8 being down or in the position shown in Fig. 6 when the bending finger 6 is engaged with the wire, and the pin block 8 being down when the opposite bending finger is engaged with the wire. These pin blocks cooperate with a suitable anvil block or presser member 15.

Each of the bending fingers is mounted to swing freely on an axis, one of which is shown at 16 in Fig. 5, said axes being secured centrally in rocking sleeves or cylinders 17 which are rotatably mounted in sleeve bearings 18 on the frame of the machine. Each bending finger is provided with .a segmental miter gear 19 meshing with a miter gear 20 secured to a shaft 21 rotatably mounted in a hub 22 on the cylinder or sleeve members 17 and having secured to its outer end a crank arm 23 which is connected by link 21 to a crank pin 25 on an eccentric disk 26 keyed to the main driving shaft 14. This arrangement is provided for both bending fingers. The eccentrics 26 are connected by eccentric straps and links 28 to crank pins 29 on the cylinder or sleeve member 17. The consequence is that not only is an oscillatory or swinging movement imparted to the bending fingers 6 and 7 around their axes 16, but a second oscillatory or rocking movement is imparted to the sleeve or cylinder member 17,

1,123,821 til;

which consequently changes the angle of the axes of the bending fingers, thereby imparting to the gripping ends of the bending fingers a partial rotary or oscillatory movement to give the necessary twist to the transverse or crossing portions of the wire as it is being formed.

The unformed portion of the wire is fed to the machine through a suitable guide block 30 pivoted on an inclined axis 31., and this unformed portion is alternately engaged by deep notches or grooves 32 in the ends of the bending fingers 6 and '7, at or near the points marked a in F igs: l and 5.

In the position of the parts shown in the drawings, the bending finger 6 has just reached the extremity of its movement and has completed the bending of the wire around the outermost pin 2 of the depressed pin block 8. As the shaft 1%. and its attached parts continue to revolve in the direction of the arrow 5, Fig. 4, the bending finger 6 is retracted by the backward pull of the link 24 on the crank 23, and, as this bending finger retracts, the sleeve 17 and the bending finger axis 16 carried thereby are rotated in the direction of the arrow 0, Fig. 4:, the link 28 and the eccentric. In the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the axis 16 of the bending finger 6 is parallel tothe dotted line cZ-e, Fig. l, and the plane of the bending fin er (which is at right angles to the axis 16 is substantially parallel with the plane of the last formed loop f, Fig. 6. At the other extreme movement of the parts, the axis 16 of the bending finger 6 is parallel with the line gh, and the plane of the bending finger is, in this position, nearly parallel to the unformed inclined portion of the wire 1, Fig. 6. The eccentric and crank pins which actuate the opposite bending finger 7 are arranged at 180 to the position of the parts which actuate the bending finger 6, and hence as the finger 6 retracts the finger 7 advances and engages the unformed portion of the wire at or near the point a. In the meantime, the rotation of cam 13 has lifted the rear end of the pin block arm 8 and has depressed the front arm of said pin-block to bring the pins 2 into cooperation with the anvil block or presser member 15. As the pin block arm 8 is oscillated, it is also slid forward slightly by the advancing pressure of the cam on the cam roller, which movement is allowed on account of the slight elongation of the opening in said arms through which the fulcrum pin 9 passes, as shown at 33, Fig. 5, thus bringing the pins into proper engagement with the last formed loop. As the movement continues, the bending finger 7 carries the wire around the now depressed pin and the pressure of the bent wire on this pin forces the pin block 8 to the rear, to-

wit, to a position parallel with that of the pin block 8, which has been raised by the joint action of cam 12 and spring 11 so as to permit the bending finger to complete its movement and lay the end of the loop being formed on top of the adjoining side of the previously formed adjacent loop. As the bending finger 7 moves forward, the axis 16 on which it oscillates rocks or rotates from a position parallel to the line g-h to a position parallel to the line d@ and thereby twists the crossing portion just formed through an angle it (see Figs. 4: and 6), corresponding to the angle between the unformed portion of the wire 1 and the plane of the last formed loop f.

The angle through which the crossing portions of the wire are twisted can be varied to any extent desired by altering the throw of the eccentrics 26, so as to alter the angle between the lines cle and g-h, and correspondingly altering the position of the guide member 30 so as to bring the unformed portion of the wire into proper position. to be engaged by the grooves in the ends of the bending fingers 6 and 7 in the beginning of their bending motions. Any desired amount of twist can, therefore, be imparted to the wire by the simultaneous oscillating and rocking motion of the bending finger. The oscillating motion serves to bend the wire around a pin of the depressed pin block and simultaneously carry the formed portion of the stay backward half a loop, while the rocking or rotary motion of the bending finger serves to twist each successively depressed portion of the wire through the desired angle.

Various other forms of mechanisms may be designed for carrying into effect the method, the essentials of which consist in imparting to the wire gripping device, a rotary motion to give the twist to the wire at the time that said bending device grips the wire and carries it across widthwise of the stay to impart the desired configuration to the loops.

I am aware that stays with overlapping loops or eyes have heretofore been made by a method which holds the unformed portion of the wire at an angle to the general plane of the finished stay and bends or deflects each crossing portion of the wire at an angle both to the general plane of the stay and to the unformed portion of the Wire, thereby producing a stay of general concavo-convex cross section and simultaneously twisting the fabricated parts of the wire both in successively formed crossings and also in the edge loops or eyes.

My method is distinguished from the above named methodin that the twist in the crossing portions of the wire is given by the rotation of the gripping device (the latter being a pair of pliers or the slots in the ends of the bending fingers, or any other means which may be employed) about an axis substantially parallel with the crossing portions of the wire of the stay body; the twisting action being thereby rendered independent of the relative positions of the loops; that is, independent of whether they are all formed in one plane, or so as to successively overlap each other, and independent also of the cross-sectional form of the finished stay body, that is independently of whether they are formed fiat or concavo-convex in crosssectional outline.

What I claim is 2- l. The method of forming garment stays, consisting in bending wire alternately back and forth in opposite directions to form two series of oppositely disposed edge loops or eyes connected by transverse crossing portions, and while bending the wire to form the crossing portions gripping the crossing portions of the wire and imparting a twist thereto.

2. The method of forming garment stays, consisting in bending wire alternately back and forth in opposite directions to form two series of oppositely disposed edge loops or eyes connected by transverse crossing portions, and while bending the wire to form each successive crossing portion gripping said crossing portions of the wire and imparting a twist thereto, successive portions of the wire being twisted in opposite direc- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the tions, whereby in the finished stay the twist in all. of the transverse or crossing portions runs in the same direction.

3. The method of forming garment stays, consisting in gripping the wire and bending the same alternately back and forth in opposite directions to form two series of edge loops or eyes connected by transverse or crossingportions, and simultaneously with the formation of each crossing portion imparting rotary movement to the gripping devices and thereby twisting said transverse portions or crossings.

a. The method of forming garment stays, consisting in gripping the wire and bending the same alternately back and forth in opposite directions to form two series of edge loops or eyes connected by transverse crossing portions, and simultaneously with the formation of the successive crossing portions rotating the gripping devices alternately in opposite directions, whereby the transverse or crossing portions are twisted in a manner that in the finished stay the twist in all crossings runs in the same direction.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand,

FRANK L. O. VVADSVVORTH.

WVitnesses ELBERT L. HYDE, WILLIAM B. WHAR'roN.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

